


Clubs and Hearts

by seki



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 05:44:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11052549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seki/pseuds/seki
Summary: Hookup culture in Insomnia is a blessing, in Ignis's opinion.





	Clubs and Hearts

The bartender slid a tall glass into Ignis's line of view and nodded to the other end of the bar. Ignis followed the nod. A tall man. Slim. Dark-haired and dark-complected, with high cheekbones and a nervous smile when he saw Ignis looking at him.

Ignis picked up the glass, tilted it towards the man in thanks, and took a sip. Ginger and gin, just like Ignis's previous drink, so clearly the man hadn't assumed he knew better than Ignis what he liked. Auspicious. Ignis smiled, over the rim of the glass, and then deliberately turned away. No need to appear too keen.

The man waited until Ignis had drunk most of it before he approached, and Ignis let himself be wordlessly led out onto the dancefloor. Dancing was a splendid way to assess a potential lover, Ignis had always thought. Rhythm and balance and poise, all evident as one swayed in time to the music. Now all that mattered was to find out if his current partner could live up to his promise so far. If he did, then tonight promised to be _wonderful_.

"Well now," Ignis murmured, as the man's hands slid down Ignis's back. "What did you have in mind, hm?"

"I've a room nearby," the man suggested; ah, good, a deep Cleigne accent, something Ignis was very fond of. "I'll fuck you, and--"

Ignis's eyes, drifting idly across the view of the club, landed unexpectedly on a very familiar face. His hips, shifting mindlessly in time with his partners', suddenly snapped to a halt. Oh. Oh no. Not now, surely?

"--unless, uh, uh," the man continued, clearly startled. "Unless you'd rather fuck me, because I thought--"

Ignis stepped backwards, quickly. "Ah -- I'm afraid I need to take a brief raincheck."

The man looked confused, but nodded.

"I _will_ come back, I assure you."

Ignis strode off across towards the entrance, irritation making his teeth grind together. Was he not allowed _any_ private time, to hold some vestige of a personal life? Clearly not.

Noctis was standing in the entrance way, still looking around in obvious fascination.

"Your _highness_ ," Ignis said, when he was close enough for Noctis to hear him.

The wide-eyed expression of utter horror on Noctis's face when he saw Ignis was unexpected enough to make him reconsider his anger. Was… was Noctis not here to look for him?

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the very same thing." Ignis glanced over his shoulder; the crown prince of Lucis in a gay bar, and apparently not just because he needed to talk to his advisor. Well. He reached out, and took hold of Noctis's arm, pulling him over into an alcove. "Why _are_ you here?"

"I…" and Noctis's cheeks were already pink, but he flushed a darker hue. "Just, uh, trying to see if this is my sort of place."

Oh. Oh heavens. "You're gay now?"

"Maybe. I don't know. Still deciding. You're here to drag me away, aren't you?"

"No, Noct. I was here before you came in. I'm a regular."

" _Oh_." Noctis brushed Ignis's hand off his elbow. "Shit. Sorry. Didn't know I'd be intruding."

"You can't stay here."

"Why not?"

Why not, indeed. Ignis tried to form an explanation that wouldn't condemn him in Noctis's eyes, and failed, and then sighed. "It's not for… for _trying_ , Noct. It's for people who know what they want."

Noctis looked baffled, as Ignis supposed he well might.

"This is a _hookup_ spot." Ignis adjusted his glasses. "Very short-term hookups. If you're wishing to dip your toes, as it were, this is not the place I'd advise."

"Oh." Noctis dropped his gaze. "Right. Wow. Uh--"

Ignis glanced over his shoulder; the man he'd been dancing with was watching them with a cynical expression. Ignis raised his eyebrows and shook his head to signal his sudden unavailability, and the man nodded and turned away. Good. Well. Duty, for now, and perhaps their paths would cross another day. "Come on. I'll show you somewhere less… ah, carnal."

To his credit, Noctis followed Ignis out of the club and -- rather meekly -- along the road outside. There was a bar at the end where Ignis had gone before with friends a couple of times. Socialisation, not sex.

Inside, with drinks balanced carefully on the small and rather rickety table between them, Noctis fidgeted with the stirrer in his glass.

"That place," he said, "you go there a lot?"

"When what it offers is what I want, I go there."

Noctis glanced up at Ignis, and then pulled a face that signalled distaste at that notion. "Okay. But here is different?"

"Here is… gentler." Ignis picked up his drink, and took a sip. "To be frank, Noct, I'm not sure I'm happy with you here either."

"I know. But I just…" and Noctis sighed, heavily. "Okay. There are these two boys in my class. They got together. It's cute, they're really… sweet."

University, then, Ignis thought. People exploring their own sexuality, being exposed to different ways of living their lives. And Noctis, six weeks into classes, observing something and feeling a resonance. "You didn't realise before?"

"I… oh god. Look, I always _wondered_. But now I'm pretty sure."

Ignis nodded, slowly.

"And I, ugh. I wanted to do this on my own, okay? But you're right, I don't just want a hookup with some random guy." As he said it, Noctis pulled an apologetic face. "Sorry. I don't mean that it's wrong to do that, but--"

"Yes. I see." Ignis sipped his drink again. "Are you asking my advice as your friend, or as your chamberlain?"

"Uh. Both."

"As your chamberlain, I should tell you the establishment would rather you marry a woman. There _are_ procedures in place for the heir preferring men, but some of the more conservative members of the high council will be hard to convince. And it would be easier to manage if the news came once you were in an established long-term relationship."

"Huh."

"As your friend, I say… tread lightly? And don't go to bars or clubs alone if you're not willing to end up in someone's bed yet."

Noctis looked surprised. "You think people are going to, what--"

"You are young, and attractive, and famous, and, forgive me for saying so, still rather innocent. You are _prey_ , Noct."

Again, Noctis rather surprised Ignis by not scowling, and instead merely contemplating his drink as he obviously turned that over in his mind.

"I am not volunteering," Ignis added, "to shepherd you around. My duty is wide-ranging, but it doesn't encompass--"

"I get it, drag Prompto or someone with me instead. Great."

Ignis wondered if Prompto knew, from that. Maybe he didn't, in which case this all must still be very tentative in Noctis's mind.

"Ahh." Noctis picked up his drink. "Right, well."

"As I recall, your university should have social mixers for gay and lesbian students to--"

"Yeah, yeah, they do. I just, the one I went to, uh. It was, I guess, like that club you were at?"

"Ah."

"I thought, in a grownup place, people might not just walk up to each other and go, hey, wanna bang." Noctis twirled his stirrer around again. "Maybe I forgot people are just people, all the time."

Ignis set his drink down carefully, and looked around. "This place, if you were on your own, would be a place where you would be approached less directly."

"Yeah?"

"Though," Ignis said, feeling obliged to add it, "likely the aim would be much the same. A slower route to the same goal."

"Damn. Doesn't anyone just wanna be friends any more?"

Ignis smiled, wryly. "I fear there is too much desire for instant gratification."

In fact, the culture around gay relationships in Insomnia hadn't ever been a problem for Ignis. He didn't have time for romance, but he _did_ enjoy sex, and the fact that most of the negotiations had been boiled down to a simple signalling of mutual interest was a boon to him. The friends Ignis had who happened to be also gay were entirely drawn from the ranks of the Crownsguard. When they socialised in places like this bar, it was with a policy of non-involvement with one another, for the safety of their working relationships. That strict boundary kept Ignis's life very clearly compartmentalised. Friends for socialising. Pickups for sex. Easy. Straightforward.

But he could see that, if he'd been looking for something a little more romantic, he'd have been rather dispirited by the focus on sex and sex alone.

"Mixers at your university," he said, again, for lack of a better suggestion. "They're _supposed_ to be for finding friends. Just turn down the other offers, and see who actually strikes up conversation."

"Yeah, alright."

"And don't go alone. Having a friend with you will look less ...available."

Noctis let out a huge sigh. "Yeah, okay. Thanks."

They finished their drinks, and then Ignis walked Noctis back through the brightly-lit streets until they were at a convenient place to go their own ways.

It was only after Ignis got home that he felt the faint annoyance creep through him again. He'd wanted sex, and his evening had been derailed entirely by providing brotherly support for Noctis's burgeoning sexual identity crisis. 

Ah well. There'd be other times.

\--

Current fashions for men, in terms of _nighttime_ trends, had over the past year gradually begun to involve playful and elaborate use of makeup. Ignis declined to paint his own face, not liking how makeup felt on his skin, but he definitely admired the effect on other men. Eyeliner to enhance the eye shape. Lipsticks, slashes of darkness that made teeth look whiter. Glitter, shimmering on brow and cheekbone. They made pretty enhancements, applied correctly, and Ignis found himself drawn to those who used them.

It did mean that whenever a new bedmate left Ignis's home, Ignis would discover dark smears and smudges on his pillow from where his companion had pressed his face. The marks washed out, mostly, and a good hot boil restored the whiteness. Still, a minor inconvenience.

Discovering that Noctis had embraced this trend was quite disturbing.

"Ignis!"

Ignis would have walked past the booth entirely had Noctis not called his name. Noctis was with a small group of men, all rather evidently of student age but all with vibrantly-coloured drinks in front of them. And all of them showing flashes of shimmer on their faces, some more flamboyant than others. Noctis's efforts were quite lovely; a dark kohl rimming his eyes and then flicking upwards at the outer edges, streaks of subtle gold on his jawline and down his nose.

He looked, Ignis thought, a little stunned, rather sultry and sophisticated like this, no longer the innocent naif of a few weeks prior. Amazing, what an impact some black and gold could have on a man's features.

"Hello," Ignis said, smiling. "Having a nice time?"

"Yeah, not bad. You wanna join us?"

Ignis glanced around the group again. Polite interest on the faces of Noctis's friends, but-- "I've a date with someone, I'm afraid. But do enjoy your evening."

"Oh." Noctis made a vague gesture, and then got up and pushed past his friends. "Can I have a word, first?"

Ignis let Noctis draw him slightly further away, curious.

"Okay, so, these guys don't know who I really am," Noctis said, in a low tone. "I mean, they know my friends sometimes call me Noct, but I made something up about how I look a bit like the prince and it's just a nickname."

"...and what do they think your name _is_?"

"Luca." Noctis held up a hand. "I know, I panicked, it's sort of obvious."

That had not been Ignis's first thought. "You gave yourself a feminine name."

"I panicked. Besides, I also said I hated it."

Using a feminine name had… overtones within the scene, ones that Ignis wasn't sure Noctis fully comprehended, but it was clearly rather too late to change the situation. "Well. I'll endeavour to remember."

"Thanks."

"And you've adopted the warpaint, I see," Ignis added.

"Oh, one of the guys insisted it was _obligatory_ and so we all had to. I dunno, I think it's good -- I mean, I think it makes me look less like, uh, me, which is probably a good thing, right?"

Ah. Disguise, then, not merely enhancement. "It rather suits you."

Noctis looked surprised, but flattered. "Oh. Thanks. I think."

"I'm surprised you're in here, though."

"Ranio loves the music here. But I'll try and tell them to steer clear if it's going to bug you seeing me in here?"

"It's not a problem, Noct." Ignis smiled. "And now, I will withdraw and leave you to your friends."

"Okay. You really have a date?"

There was a sweet-faced man at the bar who was awaiting Ignis's return from the bathroom, before they went to find somewhere to take their pleasure in one another. Ignis wasn't sure of the man's name, but that wasn't important. "Of sorts," Ignis hedged, unwilling to quite lie.

Noctis's eyebrows went up. "Oh. Right. Well. See you tomorrow, I guess? For work?"

"Indeed. Have a good night, Noct."

\--

Noctis's makeup was a little more extreme this time, long wings at the corner of either eye, a flash of silver above black in a double-line. White-silver stars, glued onto one cheek in a pattern that resembled a constellation. There was silver on his lips, too, It drew the eye dangerously, in Ignis's opinion.

Noctis leaned against the rail on the balcony. Below them, the dancefloor teemed with bodies.

"Him," Noctis pointed. "With the blue in his hair, you see?"

'He' had smears of black and blue down both cheeks, and strikingly dark brown eyes set in a handsome square-jawed face. Ignis could see the appeal. "Yes, I see him."

"He asked me out. He has slept with like five guys on my course already," Noctis said, and wrinkled his nose. "Disease vector, I say. 'Experienced', my friends say."

Ignis made a noncommittal noise.

"I mean," Noctis said, glancing back, "I mean, uh, not that it's not okay to sleep with anyone you like, but--"

"But you think promiscuity means carelessness."

"I… uh."

Ignis should perhaps have let it slide. Still. "If he's smart and sensible about sex, he'll be less of a disease vector than someone who, in the heat of thinking they've found their soulmate, doesn't use a condom."

Noctis's startlement was obvious on his face, as if this was an entirely novel idea to him.

Ignis leant out, over the balcony. "You _are_ using protection, I assume."

"Ignis."

"I ask only out of concern."

"I'm not _sleeping_ with anyone."

"Ah."

Noctis rolled his eyes. "But _yes_ , thank you, I carry condoms."

"And lube?"

"God -- yes, okay, lube when I go out just in case, do you _have_ to ask stuff like this?"

Ignis shrugged. "It is, in a sense, my duty."

"You're not on duty now, Specs. Lay off the interrogation."

"If you insist."

They fell silent. Ignis, for a brief moment, wished he was down in the dancefloor amongst everyone he could see, pressed up against some temporarily interesting man with the promise of sex to follow. And then he glanced back at Noctis, his face thoughtful and lit up oddly by the reflected spotlights that criss-crossed the dancefloor, the makeup glinting and pulling the eye to Noctis's finest features. He looked beautiful, like this, aloof but not entirely untouchable.

No. With Noctis looking this appealing, best to make sure he was educated, protected, smart. Not a _target_. Ignis felt this as an obligation, as Noctis's friend, not merely as his advisor. Far more important than some brief diversion.

"Alright," Noctis said, in the relative lull after the next song's heavy bass wound down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. You're right, being careful is more important than being picky."

"I wasn't offended. But you were… underthinking the matter."

"Yeah, I get it. Sorry."

"It's fine to be cautious, however. You, especially, should be cautious about casual encounters."

"Mm. You're right. I don't want anyone I'm not friends with."

A relief to hear, somehow. "Then I wish you wonderful friends."

\--

Noctis mouthed something, across the club, at Ignis.

Ignis couldn't decipher it, but he nodded, slowly. Noctis's attention seemed to return to the man he was talking to, and then he said something that made the man frown and reach for him. Noctis brushed the hand away, then got up and made for Ignis.

"What was that about?" Ignis asked.

"Told him I had a better offer," Noctis said, and somehow now he was right in Ignis's personal space. "I'm gonna stand here for a while until he gives up, okay?"

"Not your type?"

Noctis snorts. " _Awful_. All ego and no brain."

"Ah." Ignis raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll be your alibi for a while, but I do intend to seek company of my own."

"I know." Noctis put his hand on Ignis's arm. "But right now, look like you're hitting on me, he's watching."

Ignis glanced over. The man was indeed watching, so Ignis raised an eyebrow at him and then turned his attention back to Noctis, smiling as if pleased by Noctis's touch.

"At least say something," Noctis said, frowning, as if Ignis wasn't getting it right.

"Sorry. I'm not certain I know how to hit on you, Noct."

Noctis shifted his weight, bringing his body in even closer. "We could dance?"

"I'm fairly sure that would be inappropriate," Ignis said. "Considering how people dance in here."

"Yeah? Funny, I wouldn't mind getting a little inappropriate with you."

Ignis was fairly sure time had stopped, or his heart had stopped, or his breathing had stopped. Possibly all three at once.

"I mean," Noctis said, a tint of pinkness evident on his cheeks, and then he shrugged. "Well. I wouldn't. Or a lot inappropriate."

"...Noct, you're not serious."

"I am. And you would too, if we weren't us. I'm better looking than some of the guys you've gone off with."

Ignis wished he could feign disagreement. But here Noctis was, close and alluring in his warpaint. One stripe of red glitter across the bridge of his nose; heavy eyeliner adding the illusion of even more tilt to Noctis's already almond-shaped eyes; dark, slick-oil-seeming gloss on Noctis's lips.

Beautiful. Intriguing. Far too close. Ignis dragged his eyes upwards from Noctis's mouth.

Noctis's eyes seemed to be searching Ignis's face, and then, in slow increments, as if giving Ignis as much chance as possible to stop him, he closed the remaining slim distance between them and pressed his mouth softly against Ignis's.

Ignis didn't dare react; neither encourage nor push away, he thought with what remained of his capacity for logical thought. Seconds passed, and then Noctis pulled back, nearly as slowly as he'd approached.

They stared at each other. Noctis was still far too close.

"Ignis," Noctis said, "I'm gonna need a reaction here."

As if obeying commands from somewhere else, Ignis's hand came up to cup Noctis's cheek. "This," Ignis began, but his voice sounded tiny and far-away. He coughed, and tried again. "This would be a terrible idea, Noct."

"Yeah? So what?"

Ignis's thumb swept sideways, across Noctis's cheekbone. "So we shouldn't."

"It doesn't have to… it can be just a hookup," Noctis said, _offered_ , his dark-rimmed eyes now fixed firmly on Ignis's. "Just one night."

"You don't want that," Ignis said, softly, unsure if _he_ wanted that either.

"I'll take that, actually." Noctis turned his head a little, pressed a kiss to the base of Ignis's thumb. "Take me home?"

Something broke a bit in Ignis's head. Take Noctis home to his apartment block, where the doormen were liable to recognise him? "No, not home. I… there's love hotels, near here, perhaps?"

"What the hell is a love hotel?"

"You pay for a room, for a couple of hours, and--"

Noctis's nose wrinkled. "Oh, ew. No. Just come back to mine? Nobody will think it's weird, you're my advisor. My friend. You're just getting me safely home."

Perhaps a fair point, Ignis thought, and then Noctis's mouth was on his again for just a moment, like a promise.

"Please?" Noctis added, curling his hands into Ignis's shirt. "Come home with me?"

The short walk back to Noctis's dorm block was a blur to Ignis; he was vividly conscious of Noctis next to him and barely aware of anything else. 

Noctis, in a nod to his station, had been furnished with a little private suite of three rooms to himself; a bedroom and bathroom set off a reception room. Noctis led Ignis straight into his bedroom, kicking doors closed behind him, and then very deliberately pulled Ignis down onto the bed.

Removing his glasses made the whole thing seem a touch removed from reality; open-mouthed kisses that slid down onto neck and collarbone, Noctis's fingers trailing teasingly down Ignis's chest and hooking into his waistband.

"God, Specs," Noctis said, and one hand was sliding down Ignis's hip, "is this really happening?"

"If you've changed your mind--"

"No, no way." Noctis squirmed away for a moment, putting a little distance between them. "Can -- can I have you?"

"Gladly."

Ignis was fully expecting Noctis to be inexperienced at most of what they were doing, but Noctis showed no sign of hesitation or clumsiness with either condom or lube. Or with sinking into Ignis, a slow confident _slide_ that made all of Ignis's nerves shiver in anticipation.

Noctis wasn't entirely flawless in bed, of course; a few misjudgments of angle, inadvertently elbowing Ignis painfully in the thigh when shifting position, clear surprise at some of Ignis's reactions to being touched intimately. But those few moments were outweighed by the rest, where Ignis put aside any doubts and concerns about possibly being Noctis's _first_ and just basked in being Noctis's _now_.

Pleasure building on pleasure, as they moved together. Hands caressing, the taste of salt-slicked skin, moans and gasps and mouths open against one another, breathless praise and response. Noctis rather sweetly intent on chasing down Ignis's peak before allowing his own, and then so lovely and delighted at mastering his goal.

And in the wake of it, a Noctis who wordlessly pulled Ignis back into the bed and encircled him with arms that brooked no escape.

Ignis did not, on the whole, sleep easy with another body in his bed. But this was Noctis, and it might be churlish to flee if Noctis truly expected Ignis to stay overnight. Even so. "You need to clean your face," he murmured, a little regretful.

"Oh."

That got Ignis a bed to himself, for a few minutes. He elected not to deal with his vague misgivings about what this night meant _outside_ this bedroom, and instead wondered: did he really want this to only last one night? Ignis was very comfortable with never having an extended relationship; tidy neat romance-less hookups catered to his baser needs and engaged no emotion that could end in heartbreak. It was straightforward, and Ignis liked straightforward. But this night was _Noctis_ , beautiful sweet Noctis who almost certainly wanted more and who might be worth the risk of heartbreak.

And who was the Prince of Lucis, and therefore probably shouldn't even have let Ignis into his bed in the first place.

By the time Noctis returned, Ignis was no clearer on what he really wanted. Noctis's face looked inevitably younger without makeup, but he slid back in next to Ignis without embarrassment. He tasted mint-fresh, and fell asleep with an ease that made Ignis feel a little envious.

But Ignis slept well, despite his misgivings. And in the morning, he crept away like an intruder, before Noctis awoke.

\--

One week later, and Ignis was back in Noctis's bedroom, having allowed Noctis to lead him back here, without even discussing it past Noctis taking his hand in the bar. They kissed in Noctis's rooms, Ignis's back pressed up against the bedroom door, until Noctis pulled away, lipstick nothing more than a memory of the dark red it had been earlier.

Noctis's hands slid downwards, purposefully. "This time," he said, eyes on Ignis's mouth, "I want you in me."

What this turned out to mean was Ignis below and Noctis above, and the way that this allowed Ignis to watch Noctis sink down onto him made it seem like the most perfect possible position in the world. Noctis kept one hand behind him on Ignis's thigh, and one hand in front on Ignis's stomach, and seemed to be uninterested in his own cock, instead just moaning and riding Ignis with his eyes closed and his head tipped back as if _this_ was all there could possibly be or should ever be, a perfect moment.

Watching Noctis _enjoying_ himself was nearly as good as the actual sensation of being inside him, feeling the friction and drag as Noctis pursued his own pleasure. When Ignis let himself touch, his hand on Noctis's cock progressed everything from blissful to ecstatic; deep, throaty groans from Noctis with every movement from either of them, until Ignis's self-control snapped and he shuddered upwards, Noctis gasping at his thrusts.

Noctis tumbled off him sideways afterwards, grinning as if proud of himself, his own orgasm obviously uncompleted. Ignis managed to grab at Noctis and encourage him to where Ignis wanted him; straddling Ignis's chest and braced against the wall above, cock angled where Ignis could take it in deeply into his mouth, ass in Ignis's hands so Ignis could urge Noctis to the pace he wanted.

Oh _yes_.

This, Ignis knew, he could do _very_ well. Practise allowed him to pull Noctis in deep, into his throat, to swallow around him before pulling back for shallower faster movements until he could swallow down again. Noctis's groans became whines, then desperate pleading, then urgent demands. Finally, all that was left was wordless gasps as Noctis found completion, as if there was barely coherent thought or word left in him.

Noctis tried to kiss him immediately afterwards, contorting himself awkwardly, and then they shared breathless laughter at his lack of flexibility.

Afterwards, Noctis's head lay pillowed on Ignis's chest, his hand drifting idly on Ignis's stomach.

"Noct," Ignis said, against Noctis's hair. "I shouldn't stay the night."

A huffing noise was all the response he got.

"I mean it."

Noctis lifted his head. "Not even if I promise you another go-around in the morning?"

Tempting, deeply deeply tempting. "It's going to be hard enough trying to remain collected during our meetings tomorrow as it is."

"Oh." Noctis dropped down again, rested his chin on Ignis's chest. "Honestly? All this week I kept thinking about last time anyway. You didn't?"

Ignis had, in fact, spent a great deal of time trying not to recollect the sounds and sights of sex with Noctis. A hard task, when he saw Noctis every day, when he had to be alone with Noctis in lifts and meeting rooms for whole tens of minutes at a time. 

Makeup made the difference, he thought, as he had earlier that week, finding a boundary he could easily define. Noctis, in makeup, was a sexual being whom Ignis could touch and kiss and suck and caress. Noctis without makeup was the Prince. And waking up with the Prince, sans makeup, and still being in _sex_ mode was therefore not a good idea. It blurred the boundary.

"I… have been trying not to think about it. With difficulty."

"Yeah." Noctis grinned at him. "I mean. We're _good_ together, Specs."

"...but."

"Yeah, I know." Noctis sighed, and rolled away, off, onto his back. "You don't do relationships, and if you _did_ it wouldn't be with me."

Ignis wanted to reach across, to kiss Noctis, to apologise. But it wouldn't help. "I'll go," he said instead. "Sleep well, Noct."

"Mm. Get home safe. See you tomorrow."

\--

Twice was a coincidence. Three times was… 

Well. Third time was _glorious_ , again.

They made it into Noctis's room, and after a few minutes of urgent kisses Ignis sank to his knees.

"Oh, fuck, please."

After the previous week, Ignis had spent more time than he could quite excuse remembering how Noctis had felt in his mouth, the weight and taste of him, the way Noctis had moaned and moved in response.

It made Ignis _greedy_ , shameless. He alternated slow, deep swallows with faster, shallower movements, keeping his eyes cast upwards, watching the way Noctis went from watching to throwing his head back in open-mouthed gasps of pleasure, the glitter across his eyelids catching the light.

"Stop, stop," Noctis said, rather sooner than Ignis had expected, tugging at his hair. "Too good. Need you in me."

Ignis slid back up, wiping his mouth on his hand. "How?"

"Right here." Noctis slid his hands down, cupped Ignis. "Can you, right here?"

Did Noctis want him to… against the door, somehow? Ignis didn't think he could lift Noctis for long enough, not for that; it made for a nice fantasy but it was probably beyond his capabilities.

And then Noctis twisted, turning in Ignis's arms. "Like this?"

Oh.

Ignis had both lube and condoms in his pocket. For a moment, he still thought it might be unfeasible -- Noctis too short, Ignis's legs too long -- but then Noctis changed position again, bracing himself, arching his back, pressing back onto Ignis's fingers, and Ignis decided he'd _find_ a damned way to make it work somehow.

It was worth it, too, no matter how awkwardly he had to bend his knees at first, for that hot tight slide into Noctis, and the way Noctis exhaled and then took a shaky deep breath before whispering, reverentially, "oh, _yes_."

"Slow?"

"No." Noctis pushed back again, braced himself with one arm, and reached down to grasp himself. "But deep. Please."

In truth, at this angle and going at anything other than the slowest pace possible, Ignis wasn't going to last long -- the friction was too good and Noctis's noises too arousing. He concentrated, fiercely, on aiming to get Noctis off first, on each deep raw thrust in and out, and was rewarded very soon by a near-silent moan of release and Noctis clenching hard around him.

His own orgasm was forceful enough that it nearly made his knees give way, and he clutched hard at Noctis to stop himself from crumpling.

"Fuck," Noctis said, in the breathy, trembling moments afterwards. "God… Specs. That was incredible."

"Bed. Come on."

"I'm not sure I can make it that far."

They did, just about, collapsing in a tangle of untidy limbs. Noctis curled up against Ignis's side, draped a leg over him.

"At this rate," Ignis said, stroking Noctis's hair, "you'll make a liar of me."

"Oh?"

"That this isn't a relationship."

"It isn't if we say it isn't." Noctis made a soft, huffing noise. "Just friends with benefits. Really good benefits."

Ignis paused in his stroking. "Is that what you want this to be?"

"Makes it simple." Noctis stretched out, his body shaking with the tension of it. "We're not boyfriends, just… sometimes, we have orgasms together."

"Hm."

Noctis tipped his head up, so Ignis could see his still-unfamiliarly-painted face. "I mean. I don't wanna be tied down, either, I think. I want options. So let's not make a _thing_ out of this. Right?"

"...alright, then." Ignis gathered his wits, and sat up. "I'll head off, then."

"Hm? You don't have to."

"Yes, I think I do." Ignis pressed a kiss to the top of Noctis's head. "See you tomorrow, Noct."

\--

Ignis held up a hand, apologetic. "Sorry -- I have to take this, it'll be work."

"Oh, go ahead."

Ignis thumbed the phone to green. "Yes?"

"You busy right now?"

"A little." Ignis gave the guy a quick, reassuring smile, and then stepped away just a little further. "Is there a problem, Noct?"

Noctis made a thoughtful noise. "I'm home, alone, wanting company, that's all."

"Ah." Well. It wasn't inconsistent, given their recent history, for Noctis to think he could call up Ignis to solicit sex. Ignis had to admit that the idea held a lot of appeal. The guy he was currently chatting up seemed sweet enough, but sex with Noctis had so far been _incredible_. But did Ignis want to get into the habit of letting Noctis request booty calls of him?

"I mean," Noctis added, "I'll keep myself company if I have to. But I'll be thinking of you."

Ignis cleared his throat. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I'll buzz you in when you get here."

Ignis switched his phone to red. "Sorry," he said, aiming for rueful. "Emergency. Maybe I'll catch you another time."

The man pulled a sympathetic face. "Ah, that's rough. Hope it works out alright."

"As do I."

Noctis, as promised, buzzed Ignis into the building, and the door to his rooms was latched open when Ignis pushed on it. He carefully locked the door behind him.

"In here," Noctis called from the bedroom.

Ignis had expected Noctis to be naked, to be on the bed, perhaps half-way to his own orgasm already.

He wasn't disappointed.

This time Ignis coaxed Noctis into taking him, with Ignis on hands and knees, braced against the wall above the bed. It was _blissful_ , exactly the thing Ignis wanted, the pull and stretch of a man deep inside him, hands on his ass holding him open for each thrust.

Noctis flattened himself up against Ignis's back, within a few minutes. "Fuck," he gasped. "Can't last long like this. Too -- ah -- too good."

A useful warning, and Ignis's hand went to hasten his own end. Noctis's hand curled over Ignis's, and for a while there was nothing in Ignis's world except the raw moans of Noctis's pleasure and the two points of beautiful friction, until Ignis came hard enough to splatter Noctis's wall.

Noctis held him, for a few heartbeats, unmoving as Ignis's body shuddered, and then Noctis -- with surprising shamelessness -- gripped Ignis's hips tightly and chased down his own orgasm, thrusting hard and deep and fast, making Ignis's toes curl in overstimulated response.

"Specs," Noctis whispered, in the calmer breaths that came immediately afterwards, his hands smoothing down Ignis's flanks. "Specs, you're ruining me for anyone else."

Ignis, tired and unable to think clearly, exhaled in what was almost a laugh. "Likewise."

Noctis's hands stopped, and then Ignis felt Noctis pulling out, clambering off the bed quickly. Ignis reached for the tissues that Noctis kept on his nightstand, and did what he could to clean both himself and the wall he'd marked. He heard Noctis leave the room, the door clicking behind him.

Oh. That was new.

It took a few minutes of Ignis rather awkwardly waiting in the bed before Noctis returned, still naked, with two cups of milky coffee.

"We need to talk," Noctis said, handing a cup over and sitting unceremoniously on the edge of the bed. "Don't we?"

"I thought you wanted to keep your options open."

Noctis nodded. "I know."

"Has that changed?"

"I don't know. Maybe I just didn't want you to reject me again," Noctis said, and then he lifted his cup, hiding his face behind the rim. "You're not a boyfriend person."

"I told you before that I acknowledged this was a relationship."

"Yeah, but you said it like you wished it wasn't."

Ignis frowned. "I didn't mean it that way. I just… I've little experience of _dating_ , Noctis. You know what my life is like. I can't devote myself to a boyfriend."

"Which means you don't want one," Noctis said, his tone petulant. "I get it. You don't have to keep telling--"

"No, it… Noctis, my life is devoted to you anyway. If there's anyone I _could_ perhaps be a reasonable boyfriend to, it's you."

Noctis looked startled, and then he dropped his gaze, staring down into his coffee.

"It wouldn't be easy," Ignis adds. "You know that, don't you? I'd be reprimanded even for asking you out."

"You didn't, though."

"I think I very much did. And that you took a lot of convincing, and that we dated clandestinely, for months, before so much as kissing, while we ascertained our compatibility."

"...oh." Noctis smiled, wryly. "Yeah. I see. Maybe not months, though. Nobody'll believe I was _that_ slow to warm up to the idea. Weeks."

"At least one full month, I'd say."

Noctis laughs, and puts down the coffee. "You know, about one month ago--"

"I was here. I remember." Ignis reaches out, strokes his hand down Noctis's face. "It was wonderful."

That gets him a snort.

"Do you _want_ us to be boyfriends?"

"I… ugh." Noctis took a gulp of his coffee. "I want to be able to go to bed with you, okay. I don't know about the rest. Labels. Maybe not."

Ignis contemplated Noctis, thoughtfully. It had only been a couple of months ago when Noctis had been disappointed in how venal the gay culture of Insomnia was, had objected to being expected to just tumble into bed with men. "How long have you wanted me for?"

Noctis's eyes went round with alarm for just a fraction of a second, and Ignis felt a little jolt of confirmed suspicion. Oh dear. And he'd been very obvious in front of Noctis about taking home other men and enjoying the freedom to do it.

"It… I mean, look," Noctis said, and then he stopped, and took another gulp of his coffee. "Does it matter?"

"Only in as much as I might have hurt your feelings."

"No. Well, a bit, but you weren't doing it on purpose. And you're here now."

Well then. "And I'd like to be your boyfriend."

Noctis gave him an uncertain, faintly suspicious look. "Because you think you should be, because we keep ending up in bed."

"Because it's _you_. But I have enough pride that if you imply that your answer might possibly be 'no' one more time I will _not_ ask you again, Noct."

"Oh."

Ignis took a sip of the coffee Noctis had pressed upon him, and then set it down on the bedside table. "This is your decision. Either we make a go of this, or I find my missing self-restraint and this never happens between us again."

"Fine." Noctis put his own drink down. "Alright then. Boyfriends."

There was a long pause, in which there was only the two of them staring at each other, unblinking.

"Maybe I should have asked you out," Noctis said, eventually. "I mean, I'll get in less trouble than you."

"Debatable."

"And you've gotten in trouble for me way too many times in the past already." Noctis reached out his hand, extended it towards Ignis. "Come on. Let me take the flack for once."

Ignis let their hands join, let Noctis pull Ignis's hand up to his lips. "Never."

"Huh." Noctis lifted his head, creased up one side of his face in amusement. "Okay, fine. Alright. But I kissed you first."

"...I suppose that's even true." Ignis tilted his hand, caressed Noctis's jaw. "Acceptable."

Noctis pulled back, and for a moment Ignis thought he'd said something wrong, but then Noctis shifted, got up for a moment, and then slid back in under the covers next to Ignis. "And you're gonna stay the night, and not run off in the morning. Right?"

"Correct."

"And tomorrow…" Noctis said, and he slid an arm over Ignis's waist, cuddling up close. "I know it's the weekend, but I have to go to the Citadel and see my Dad. And after that I've that charity thing--"

Ignis listened, as Noctis laid out his Saturday schedule for him, as if Ignis hadn't been responsible for organising and arranging that very schedule. It was sweet, though, and Ignis understood the urge. Noctis wanted to make room for them to be a proper couple, rather than just spending occasional nights together in his bed.

And then it hit Ignis, hard, that he was _dating_ someone now. His life was going to change, drastically. No more evenings spent flirting with whichever men he liked the look of. No more admiring men openly. No more taking someone to bed just because they had a nice smile or a shapely bum. No more _freedom_ , in a sense.

Noctis twisted his neck, looked up at him, his expression beseeching and hopeful. "So, I guess, I'll be free around seven-ish?"

This was going to be _so_ much better than all of that was, Ignis thought, fondly, his hands tangling in the tiny love-knots at the back of Noctis's hair. 

"Come to mine," he said. "I'll make you dinner."

"Yeah?"

Ignis smiled. "And breakfast. And anything else you want, in fact."

It wouldn't be easy, adapting to this new understanding between them, turning this combination of sex and friendship into romance. And it would take some fast talking and a bit of misrepresentation of the truth before they'd be officially permitted to be _public_. Still, Ignis thought all of it would be entirely worthwhile. After all, here he was with Noctis. No warpaint, no pretense of aloofness. Not quite straightforward, but honest, and affectionate, and ardent.

Perhaps Noctis had always known exactly what he wanted, even before he set one foot in that nightclub. Perhaps not. It didn't really matter, one way or another.

Noctis rested his chin on Ignis's chest, and smiled up at him contentedly, and Ignis felt his heart soar just a little at the sight.

They were good together. And with a little work, Ignis thought, they'd be _wonderful_.


End file.
